Three generations, one philosophy

The phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” was part of the rationale of USA-based demolition firm SG Loewendick & Sons long before it become mainstream.

Mr Loewendick started the company back in 1929 because he wanted to build a house for his family, but he couldn’t afford the materials.

However, as a demolition contractor, he was able to find and recycle building materials for his own home.

Loewendick continued as a building and demolition contractor into the 1950s, when company officials dropped construction to concentrate solely on demolition. Today, the business does everything from residential demolition to dismantling entire car plants. David Loewendick, president of the company which is now run by the third generation of the family, said most of the work is commercial and industrial.

Last year, the company added the capability to recycle concrete when it purchased a McCloskey J50 jaw crusher, R155 screener and 36 x 100 track stacker from Columbus Equipment Company’s environmental division.

The equipment is portable, so it can be used on a jobsite or at the Frank Road Recycling Centre that the company owns. Wherever it’s used, it allows the company to save landfill space and generate income by reusing or selling the crushed concrete.

David said that the company bought the McCloskey equipment specifically for the demolition of the Veterans’ Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.

“The McCloskey equipment was brought in for the third phase of the Vets’ Memorial demolition, which involved the slabs and underground foundation of the building,” David added.

“We achieved a 100% recycle rate. Since the building was already gone, there was no debris, just concrete.”

Loewendick crews crushed 13,000 t of concrete with the J50 and also pulled out 240 t of rebar.

“We used 5,000 t of the concrete on our own site work, and we sold the rest back to the county which will use it on the Memorial site,” David explained.

“By crushing on site and selling it back to the developer, we helped divert 2,200 truckloads off the streets, cutting wear and tear on the highways and creating a cost savings for the customer.”

David said: “In the end, the McCloskey equipment delivered what we wanted – ease of use and transportability.

“It was the biggest crusher we could get and still move, it delivers the product, and it has been holding up really well.”

Dealership support from Columbus Equipment Company was another important factor in the purchase.

“They are local. If something goes wrong, they can get a guy right here. We’ve been dealing with Columbus Equipment probably since its inception. They are customer oriented and deliver what they say they are going to do.”

At the Frank Road Recycling Centre, the McCloskey equipment has processed more than 10,000 t of concrete between trips to jobsites, according to operations manager Ken Pennington.

“It’s very quick to set up,” he said.

“The whole process probably takes two guys about an hour and a half.”

Ken has been pleased with the equipment for several reasons, including the fact that the remote-controlled crusher is very user-friendly, the equipment is fuel-efficient, and, in his words, “it’s a tough machine”.

While he has the option of running mostly clean loads, Ken also said the J50 does well with both clean loads of concrete and rougher loads with concrete and rebar.

(Photo courtesy Jason Leveridge/Mediaworks Marketing).

This article is taken from the January-February 2017 issue of Demolition & Recycling International magazine. To see the full article, including additional images, or to register to receive the magazine on a regular basis, please visit www.khl.com/subscriptions